Author Archive: Dan P.

The View From Missive Control

Space Frontier News
Space Frontier Society
A Chapter of the National Space Society
April 1995
Vol. 6, No. 4
Page 2

The View From Missive Control
by Dan Perlman, Editor

I’ll chalk it up to tax preparation time that our regular contributors were short on time to prepare articles for this month’s issue. It’s been awhile since excerpted the NASA and other source space news for your reading pleasure – hopefully we can continue to include it in future issues – any volunteers to take on scanning the publication and net-worlds?

You’re also going to be subject to another of my book reviews. This time, the weighty (physically, not intellectually) tome, “Pale Blue Dot” by Carl Sagan.

Our Hayden Planetarium watchers, David Millman, Frances Crane and Don Fowler provided us with detailed information on an April 25th special presentation, “Public Forum on Near Earth Objects.” The tagline for the program is ‘How should society respond if a comet were found on a collision course with earth?” The panel will focus on the potential threat to human survival after a major comet or asteroid collision with the earth. Neil de Grasse Tyson of the Planetarium and Princeton University will moderate. Panelists will be Freeman Dyson, David Morrison, Richard Gott and Nicholas Wade. Cost is $12 ($10 for members). The program will begin at 8:00 p.m. Call (212) 769-5900 for more information.

Welcome to new member Bill Engfer, and thanks for your renewal memberships: Greg Zsidisin (saved us from having to find a new president…), Richard Nadler, Edward Finch, and Susan Thau.

The next Programming Committee meeting will be Monday, May 22, at 6:30 p.m. It will be held at Lucy Schmeidler’s home, 470 West End Avenue, at 83rd Street, Manhattan. Anyone interested in attending should call Lucy at (212) 580-0207.

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The View From Missive Control

Space Frontier News
Space Frontier Society
A Chapter of the National Space Society
March 1995
Vol. 6, No. 3
Page 2

The View From Missive Control
by Dan Perlman, Editor

One of our goals in providing Space Frontier News to our membership and readers is to communicate what’s happening in the space, astronomy, astrophysics, and yes, even science fiction, world in New York and surrounding areas. We’ve been a little lax in the past few issues in providing our regular Space News column, as well as including information about events sponsored by organizations other than SFN or NSS.

Starting with this issue we’d like to rectify that. But to do so, we need your help. If you know about events of interest to our space advocate community, let us know – preferably with sufficient advance notice to have it appear in these pages. If you attend an event, be it a lecture, a film, a meeting, or convention, send us a couple of paragraphs on what happened.

Some of you have already started doing this after we made a similar request at the last general meeting. Thanks go to Frances Crane and Don Fowler for providing the schedule for the Hayden Planetarium’s Frontiers in Astronomy & Astrophysics lecture series. David Millman provides a look at NASA’s new budget, and several of our space colleagues have submitted news about upcoming events and services. Also, arriving barely in time, we received a flyer on a program “Rovers on Mars via Hawaii” running between March 4th and 11th at the Maritime Center at Norwalk, sponsored by The Planetary Society and the JASON Project. Call 203/852-0700 for more information. And, if anyone goes to the exhibit…

Make sure to attend our general meeting on March 12th, where Dr. Greg Matloff will take us on a trip “Across The Galaxy in 20 Minutes – Interstellar Flight”.

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The View From Missive Control

Space Frontier News
Space Frontier Society
A Chapter of the National Space Society
February 1995
Vol. 6, No. 2
Page 2

The View From Missive Control
by Dan Perlman, Editor

Just a couple of quick notes this month. Seth Potter’s much awaited primer on solar power beaming graces our front cover. Robin Vernuccion serves up a review of a book for teachers, and Carolyn Josephs catches us up on the Education Committee’s doings. Our speakers for the next two meetings are: Dr. Seth Potter, NYU, speaking on “Low-Mass Solar Power Satellites”- Sunday, February 12; and Dr. Greg Matloff, NYU, speaking on “Across the Galaxy in 20 Minutes” (Interstellar Flight) – Sunday, March 12; both at 3:00 p.m. at Houlihans, East 42nd Street and Lexington Avenue.

The Education and ISDC ’96 Committee meetings will be held back-to-back on the dates listed below. Education will meet 12-2, ISDC 2-5. As always, the specific room will not be known until shortly before the meeting; the location will be displayed on the monitors in the hotel lobby. We’ve included the planned calendar for all of 1995 so that you can scribble in your date books now!

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The View From Missive Control

Space Frontier News
Space Frontier Society
A Chapter of the National Space Society
January 1995
Vol. 6, No. 1
Page 2

The View From Missive Control
by Dan Perlman, Editor

First, and foremost, Happy New Year to all! We begin Volume 6 of Space Frontier News with the latest news releases from Boeing on the International Space Station venture. This lead piece comes direct from them and was originally released back in September. It is followed on page 5 by their latest December update.

Back in November, we’d asked for some thoughts from our members on Craig Ward’s e-mail letter to some of the NSS membership on the future structure of NSS. While the topic generated considerable verbal discussion, and apprently quite some letters to Craig, Greg Oleson was the sole member to send SFN a letter in response. That letter is reproduced in full on the next page.

Taking up a big portion of this month’s issue are the announcements for the upcoming ISDC ’95 in Cleveland, Ohio.

However, we couldn’t let that edge our our monthly Education column from Carolyn Josephs, another top flight children’s book review from Robin Vernuccio, and our last student essay to be published from last year’s contest. Look to Carolyn’s column for the latest news on this year’s art competition. Greg Matloff also contributes a short news piece following upon this summer’s robotic interstellar flight conference.

Our president, Greg Zsidisin, sent me an update fort he January 8 ISDC ’96 planning meeting, which, due to this month’s delayed publication date, isn’t included. Greg will rejoin us next month with his President’s Message and ISDC ’96 Update columns. Right Greg?

Last month’s piece on the potential reopening of the “life on Mars” question generated a flurry of activity around the country, with articles and copies of the letter being reproduced in numerous other chapter newsletters. Glad we got your attention!

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The View From Missive Control

Space Frontier News
Space Frontier Society
A Chapter of the National Space Society
December 1994
Vol. 5, No. 9
Page 2

The View From Missive Control
by Dan Perlman, Editor

Well, here we are at the end of 1994. It seems this year went incredibly fast. The political clime pormises change – as to how it affects space exploration remains to be seen, but it seems promising.

Greg Zsidisin gives us an analysis of that political future in his President’s Message. He also gives us a quick update on ISDC ’96 and a look back at last weekend’s joint “field trip” with the Philadelphia chapter of NSS. This issue we have the continuation of Darrell Coles’ feature on Space Development Finance that he began with our October issue.

Steve Wolfe joins us this month with a look at some restructuring of the SFS committees and how you can be a part of it all. Carolyn Josephs catch’s us up on the doings of the Education Committee, especially as regards next year’s educators conference and the current student space art competition. Robin Vernuccio gives us another excellent book review, and we present another one of our outstanding student essays from this year’s competition.

George Lewycky joins us with a look back at an exciting year for him, 1993. If 1994 was as exciting, perhaps we can look forward to a similar review?

Big doings are afoot in the world of life on Mars. Take a look at the Space News column to see just what’s happening. In other news, the Space Shuttle fleet gets a boost from McDonnell Douglas and Boeing. David Anderman sends us the latest update on the Lunar Resources Data Purchase Act.

Thanks to all of you who sent compliments on my review of Marshall Savage’s The Millennial Project, I enjoyed reading it and writing about it. Fair warning though, with this kind of encouragement, you may find yourself stuck with more reviews…

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Who’s Out Where?

The Stand-Up Comedy Experience Newsletter
Winter 1994

Who’s Out Where?

Once again it’s time for the news from around the globe of just what we’ve gotten ourselves into this year. Thanks first to Mary and Ellen from the office who made the majority of phone calls to all of you, leaving me with little to do other than decipher their cryptic notes and make it all coherent. Please blame all misspellings on my need for a new prescription. For lenses, that is.

Starting off with our man at the helm, Stephen Rosenfield, himself – he and Kate have added another budding comedian to our ranks with the August birth of their son, Nathaniel. Steve and his work were featured recently by WCBS-TV who named the Stand-Up Comedy Experience, “New York’s Comedy School”. Two film clips of classwork and participant performances were aired on the nightly news. Adding to that, the New York Times listed a gift certificate for the workshop as their first choice under the “Best this city has to offer.” On other fronts, Steve found time to write twenty, yes, twenty episodes of “New York Go”, a humorously presented survival guide for Japanese residents staying in the Big Apple – the show is currently airing on FCI, Japan’s largest TV network. Somehow, amidst all this, Steve still has time to teach the workshop, his first love, and turn out some top caliber new comic stars.

It seems that some of our workshop members are on their way to stardom.

Tom Schillue recently finished a T.V. pilot for a sketch comedy series called What’s Up? The series is now syndicated. It was directed by Art Wolff, and starred Tom, Tracey Ullman and Penn & Teller. Tom also appeared on Law & Order, Downtown at Comic Strip for HBO, and is performing on Standup Standup on Comedy Central, and just finished a year-long run of Gas, Food, Talent at the West Bank, which will go back into production elsewhere next year.

Mary Dimino appeared on Comedy Central’s Short Attention Span Theater, The Jon Stewart Show, VH1, and America’s Talking’s Bugged. Over on ABC, Mary filled in as the studio audience warm-up act for the Les Brown Show. She will be appearing this coming March on HBO’s Real Sex. This summer she completed a successful road tour in El Paso, Texas and New Mexico, playing such clubs as the Comic Strip. Mary is also a regular on the New York circuit and has been seen at such colleges as Princeton University. And Mary still has time to perform with the troupe Prescription of Laughter Players who perform for AIDS benefits and VA hospitals throughout the tri-state area.

Sam Brown is appearing on Standup Standup on Comedy Central. He recently signed with DCA, and by the time this newsletter reaches you, will probably have also signed with Paradigm.

Out in T.V. land, Annie McNellis is appearing in HBO’s Real Sex this December and January and has been performing at clubs around town. Also appearing on Real Sex will be Ellen Loyd. Ellen is maintaining a regular performance schedule at the major NYC clubs and actively participating in benefits with Gilda’s Club, founded in memory of comedian Gilda Radner to bring the gift of laughter into the lives of people with cancer.

Matt Graff after developing an act through The Stand-Up Comedy Experience, applied the material to a sitcom script that landed him a screenplay assignment with a top producer in Hollywood.

Wendy Stuart has been co-hosting a home-shopping show and has been seen on America’s Talking shows Bugged and Am I Nuts. Casey Fraiser can be seen on Delta Force and is working with Bill Perski on her own sitcom. She also recently appeared in the film Tilt-a-Whirl. Marla Schultz was a top five contender for the host position on Talk Soup and is now performing everywhere, especially on Long Island at the Brokerage, Chuckles and McGuire’s, and at 55 Grove.

T.V. seemed to have been popular this year with our gang. Cathy Hogue appeared on the Montell Williams Show. D.D. Henderson was featured on Show Time At The Apollo and Girls Night Out. She is appearing at Kimono Bay in Philadelphia and Bedrocks on Long Island. D.D. also recently appeared in Faith Journey at the Lambs Theater.

Jim Gaffigan was featured on A&E’s Caroline’s Comedy Hour. Sunda Croonquist has been a guest on America’s Talking and on the Montell Williams Show. She is running the Friday night downstairs room at Break for the Border, where Femmes Fatales, one of New York’s best female comedy shows, is featured. Jerry Schulman was in a commercial for the World Wrestling Federation’s Summer Scam on the Fox network. Chris Cato was a regular last season on Black Entertainment Television’s Comic View and more recently has been appearing throughout Georgia at clubs like The Comeday Act Theater and Uptown Comedy Corner in Atlanta, A Comic Cafe in Marietta, and then popped up to Dayton, Ohio for a run at Joker’s.

In movieland, Jackie Garry is working on a documentary about stand-up comedians and a feature length independent movie to be shot this coming spring. Jordan Levinson is shooting a movie called Walking and Talking. He MC’s at the Laughing Bean and the Treehouse. He has appeared on America’s Talking and performs in clubs throughout New Jersey and Philadelphia. He can also be seen on HBO’s Real Sex. Jon Barrow is being managed by Peter Muller and just finished a film out in California called In the Kingdom of the Blind, the Man with the One Eye is King, which was written, produced and directed by Nick Valleogna. Jon also just appeared on the Andy Engle Show. John Bair appeared in sketches on Late Night with Conan O’Brien and Saturday Night Live and the remake of Miracle on 34th Street. He’s performing regularly at the Treehouse.

Frank Giresi has averaged around 200 sets a year (a lot of weekends, he says) on the tri-state road, emceeing and middling at such clubs as McGuire’s and Borderline Cafe on Long Island, Caroline’s, Comedy Cellar, New York Comedy Club (where he hosts Cigar Night), the Brokerage, Governor’s, and Dangerfield’s locally, Funny Pages and Smugglers Inn in Connecticut and various Holiday Inns…. He was featured in the Toyota Comedy Festival this year and in early November did a benefit for the Christina Lazar Foundation. Alison Larkin is performing regularly all around town and says, quote, “I”m continuing through life in a very English sort of way.”

Paul Reggio has been booking his own show into Comic Strip, Boston Comedy Club and Stand-Up New York, and is now being handled on the club and college circuit by New York Entertainment. He has also filmed commercials for McDonald’s, Cheerios and Coast soap. Alladin Ullah produced and appeared, with Santos, in Not in My Club Production’s Color Blind at Don’t Tell Mama. He was recently featured in an article in the New York Times and appeared on BET’s Comedy View. He also has performed at Hamilton College, Syracuse University, Johns Hopkins, and SUNY Purchase. In the “performing around town” clique is Jamie Hill, who has also just had his book Glossolalia published. Mike Mendola has been miking it up in front of the crowds at Don’t Tell Mama, West End Gate, Stand-Up New York and Caroline’s. A regular at Stand-Up New York, Caroline’s 55 Grove Street and New York Comedy Club, John McMenamin has also fit in performances at Denver Comedy Works, Nick’s Comedy Shop and the Comedy Cafe in Boston. He will be the headliner at the annual meeting of the Safety Clean Corporation in Marco Island, Florida, the M.C. of IRSA’s annual convention in San Francicsco, and will be the opener for comedians Jake Johansen and Brian Reagen. Our own John Roach recently won Stand-Up New York’s Ed Sullivan Impression Contest. John as also been out on the open mike circuit, and is developing a side career in voiceover work.

Mark Miton just did a promo for Fruitopia, completed a recent 15 week improvisation and prop comedy tour and has done several college tours. Way out-of-town was Patricia Carolan who spent the summer performing in Rome! Robert Grayson is performing stand-up in Australia and has appeared in Sydney at The Comedy Store. Brad Trachtman has been seen at Garvin’s in Washington, D.C. and as a regular at the New York Comedy Club.

Neil Warner has been seen at Don’t Tell Mama, Stand-Up New York and the Duplex. Prescott Tolk has been up front of the house at Comedy Cellar and PIp’s. Millie Michaels is a big hit out on Long Island at clubs such as Chuckles, McGuire’s, East Side Comedy, Konkoma Comedy Club and New York Comedy Club. Rick Diaz has been a regular at the Duplex and New York Comedy Club.

Andy Ostroy was one of this year’s winners in the Duplex’s Stars of Tomorrow competitions, and got to perform a follow-up 20 minute set in a later show. In the new rounds of competition, Marcie Lopez is in the finals. Josie Leavitt won the Funniest Westsider contest at Stand-Up New York this summer, is now performing regularly there, and just had her first out of town booking Northampton, Masschusetts. Her plants are doing nicely, thank you.

Marth Barbanell was just in the pre-show finals at Stand-Up New York and early this year won the Z-100 Amateur Night contest – a trip to Club Med in Port St. Lucie, Florida. Shelly Latham just did a commercial for the Super Cuts hair salons, is seen at open mikes all around town, and is producing and hosting Kitty’s Variety at the West End Club. She’s also doing a one person show as Marie Antoinette doing cabaret – a “historical comedy drag kind of thing”. John Dunn was host of the Cosmo/Smirnoff Dating Game. Dave Eisenstadt was booked at New York Comedy Club through the Roger Paul Agency. He also appeared at Toppers in Brooklyn.

Joan Keiter won a Boston Comedy Club contest and received a regular booking at the club. She appeared in September at the Red Door and is working on a screenplay and a video project. She’s also performing regularly at Anarchy, Comic Strip, 55 Grove Street and Don’t Tell Mama. Sue Yellin created an event called What’s So Funny About Business? which she performed for the Financial Woman’s Association. She performed stand-up and facilitated a workshop on humor in business. Mary Beth Mooney is in Wingnuts Improv at the Michael Carson Theater and has appeared in Collette Black’s shows at 55 Gove Street. She’s also a regular at Glady’s, Stand-Up New York, and the Duplex and did a recent benefit for the B’nai Brith (doing Irish Catholic comedy) and City of Hope. She likes to work private parties…. Danielle Politi took time out from local clubbing to do a road tour of the dairy state, Wisconsin. Carey Engalnder just got back from a year in Denver where she was a regular at The Comedy Works – they loved her New York City material. Robbie Robins is out in Cleveland emceeing shows at Sixth Street Down Under, as well as for the Rudy Ray Moore Show at The College.

Debbie Lauffer is appearing off-Broadway in Life Anonymous, a play be N. Richard Nash at the William Redfield Theater. She is also regularly doing late nights at the Kraine Theater in The Continuing Adventures of Dick Danger. Elsewhere in the theater world, Victor Verheghe just completed a run in Beirut at the John Houseman Studio. Starring in Death of an Angelfish at the Aaron Davis Theater is Marilyn Torres. Out at Vancortland Manor, Walter McWalter has been performing in The Miser, and at Irvington Town Hall he can be seen in You Can’t Take It With You.

Appearing in plays at the Gateway and New York Cafe is Guy Ellis. A Catered Affair, a “hilarious new comedy” directed by Jay L. Tanzi at the Madison Avenue Theater, featured Arje Shaw along with George W. George. Ken Savoy was in Atlantic City this year performing at Bally’s Grand Casino, where he won a trophy for his talent. He’s in the midst of writing the Cousin Kenny Show, which he says is for kids, parents and come to think of it, everybody, and will be touring schools, theaters, hospitals and other picture postcards. If you know Ken, you’ll understand all that.

I’m always a big fan of those taking time out to do benefits, and Sally Franz is one of our major time-takers. She wrote and performed sketch comedy for homeless veterans in the Stand-Down Project for the Vets Bedside Network, and develops and conducts workshops for the U.S. Committee for UNICEF. Around all that she manages a regular performance schedule and a recnet guest shot on CNBC’s Bugged on America’s Talking, where she let the world know just exactly what bugs her about New York City.

Ellen Orchid appeared in an August 16 article in The National Enquirer about her appearance on The Jane Whitney Show (and, obviously, appeared on the show). She had a baby girl, Deborah Joy, on July 31st, 7lb 4oz. She performed at the Treehouse in Danbury in October an dis working for Hospital Audience, Inc. doing benefits for Hearts & Voices.

Sallie O’Elkordy has turned her comic talents to the philanthropic fundraising world, bringing the show Laugh for a Cure to patients at Sloan Kettering and New York University Hospitals. She also has her own show, Comedy’s Sallie Hour, which has run at 55 Grove Street, New York Comedy Club and the Comic Strip. Sallie has joined forces with comedian Hawk Davis in an act called, for no apparent reason, Hawk and Sallie, where, Sallie assures us, she’s having a hell of a good time.


Thanks to all who responded to our phone calls, sorry we didn’t get to everybody, but with almost 1,000 members of the wrokshop, there just wasn’t time. Please keep us informed of your comedy gigs! Call the office and let us know… so we can share the good news!


In the late 80s/early 90s I got involved with The Stand-Up Comedy Experience (now, American Comedy Institute) and had fun performing stand-up in clubs, and honing my comedy writing skills… the latter, at least, seems to have stuck with me.

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Letters from New York

Le Repertoire
Miami Chapter of the American Culinary Federation
November 1994
Page 6

Letters from New York

Michael [F. Michael Bennett, editor] asked me if I could give you a feel for some of the ethnic neighborhoods of New York that are noted for their food. We decided to start with Chinatown, mostly because it’s an easy walk from my office here in the East Village.

Chinatown is not an easy place to get a feel for without seeing, hearing and being in the middle of one of the busiest neighborhoods we’ve got. You have to imagine a place where the streets are barely wide enough for a car to pass by with someone parked at the curb. Where sidewalk stands selling trinkets, watches, food stuffs and underwear sit in front of shops selling the same and more. This is a place where banks stay open long hours, seven days a week, if they want to get the business of any of the local residents and businesses.

There are many back streets to Chinatown, and one could spend days exploring all the nooks, crannies and alleyways. I decided to stick to the main streets that run through the heart of the district, which, for food shoppers, mostly means Mott Street. You’ll just have to close your eyes and picture this…

As we walk south on Mott Street, we come first, at number 164, to the Lin Hong Bakery. This is “THE” spot in Chinatown for wedding cakes. There are more tiers here than at Shea Stadium, and the white and red roses do better at your typical wedding than do hot dogs and beer. Across the street and down a couple of doors, at number 139, is Shing Hing Fruits and Vegetables. The profusion of colors and smells here is enough to astound the most veteran market shopper. Don’t miss their special deals on starfruit and lotus root. Competing for the wedding cake business is Manna House Bakery, at 125 Mott – they have more interesting pastry work going on here, but just don’t seem to draw veiled crowds.

A little farther along, at 75, is Ten Ren’s Tea & Ginseng Company. If you didn’t know that there are several dozens or more types of green tea, this is the place to find out. It is also pricey. On down towards the end of the road, at number 30, is Golden Feng Wong Bakery, the in-the-know spot for picking up moon cakes – double, single or no yolks. Off down the side street, at 104 Mosco, is the Bangkok Center Grocery – with every Thai ingredient you can think of, and then some. Right at the corner of Mott and Mosco is a little sidewalk stand called the Hong Kong Cake Company, serving, what else, but fried Hong Kong cakes – a great snack, for wandering, well, gee, only 3 blocks.

At the very end of the block is the Chinese Museum – no food, but interesting just the same – and one of a few places to watch a live, dancing chicken. Around the corner and over to Mulberry Street, on the side of the Chinatown History Museum, is the gathering spot for sidewalk repair folk – they don’t repair the sidewalks, they fix your watch, re-heel your shoes, and counsel you on what your future holds – all for the price of a couple eggrolls.

Up along Canal Street, which officially, if not effectively, divides Chinatown from Little Italy, we find Kam Man grocery. This is a giant supermarket of Asian food goodies – if it isn’t here, it probably isn’t in Chinatown. At least not legally. Up at the corner of Elizabeth and Hester we find the Dynasty Supermarket – new, bigger and brighter and giving Kam Man a run for their money.

And finally, since we didn’t want to carry around a bag full of fish filets, we’ll stop at Lien Phat Fish Market, at Grand and Elizabeth Streets – you want a fish, they have it. And if they don’t, wait a few minutes, they’ll go catch it for you.

I say let’s go eat.


Dan Perlman, if you have not read earlier, is a well read northern food writer. Someone specializing in the libations that we all love. Dan has been touted as one of the Eastern Seaboard’s best sommeliers being involved in this past year’s “best sommelier in the country” contest.

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Très Veggie

GENRE
November 1994

Hungry Man
Très Veggie

Vegetarian Meals with a French Twist

When I think of France, I think of my grandmother, an adorable young man named Daniel, and food. Admittedly, being a chef, when I think of anything I think of food. But France, more than anywhere else on earth, seems to be inextricably entwined with visions of the pleasures of eating – often to excess.

The remnants of my grade-school French allow me to inquire how to get to the local métro stop, ask the whereabouts of the pen of my aunt, and understand the chorus to “Lady Marmalade.” Luckily, my kitchen French is a bit better, and I generally know what someone is talking about when they say omelette, bon bon, or café au lait. I even know the word for vegetables, légumes, though I admit I had to look up where to put the accent.

In considering French cooking, vegetables are not the first thing that comes to mind, let alone vegetarian cooking. Even the 1,193-page bible of French cuisine, the Larousse Gastronomique, grants a grand total of one paragraph to vegetarianism and two to veganism, the latter referring to the outdated belief that it’s difficult to have a balanced diet in such a strict regimen. On the other hand, vegetables and grains are the core of Niçois and Provençal cuisines in the south of France, and cooks there wouldn’t think of serving a meal without them. The Niçois even claim to know more than 70 ways to cook vegetables – a claim that puts Americans to shame, since most of us have trouble handling boil-in-the-bag peas.

The French also have a devotion to eggs and things dairy – cheese, milk, cream and butter. For those who are looking for the strictly vegetarian, it often looks like a challenge to cook in a French manner. Luckily, it is indeed possible to cook without dairy and not risk offending your nearest francophile.

Among the vegetables that are available, but not common in use in the U.S., is fennel. This beautiful light-green bulb has a crisp, slight licorice taste that is delicious raw in salads or braised to brighten those cool fall evening meals. Although simple, this recipe is guaranteed to delight your tastebuds.

Braised Fennel

6 fennel bulbs
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and fresh black pepper
4 cups vegetable stock (yes, the omnivores among you may use chicken or beef stock)
¼ cup white wine

Trim the hard outer stalks of the fennel bulbs and wash and dry the bulbs. Heat the olive oil in a large pan. Sprinkle the bulbs with salt and pepper and quickly sauté in the olive oil until they just begin to color. Add stock (though homemade would be preferred, bouillon cubes dissolved in water is acceptable) and the wine, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan and simmer for an hour until the bulbs are tender to the touch. Slice the bulbs lengthwise, season with salt and pepper, and serve hot. Makes enough for six as a side dish or two as a main course.

Carrots are among the favorite vegetables for many of us. I don’t know if it’s the bright orange color that reminds us of our school days in the safety patrol, or that buttery, sugary taste of candied carrots that mom used to make for special occasions. Updating that classic French dish gives us something that will bring a smile to any adult’s face, let alone a kid’s.

Carrot Fondue

(Fondue is not only the name for the classic Swiss dish with all those long color-coded forks and a bubbling pot of some unknown substance in the center of the table, but also a classic French cooking method of slowly cooking vegetables in butter or cream until very soft. Obviously, this one isn’t for the strict vegans.)

4 carrots
1 pint of heavy cream
salt and freshly ground pepper
Angostura bitters
2 tablespoons Madeira wine
2 tablespoons honey

Peel and finely dice the carrots, or thinly slice them. Put them in a heavy saucepan and cover them with the cream. Add a dash of bitters and the wine. Bring to a simmer and cook over very low heat until the carrots are soft and the cream has mostly absorbed into them. Add the honey, stir and serve. Makes enough for one to four, depending on how far you get from the stove before you taste….


Genre is a gay “lifestyle” and travel magazine. It was launched in 1992 by three entrepreneurs, two of whom shortly thereafter left to found QSF magazine. I went with them…

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